Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt told Newsmax that “battlefield realities” will play a pivotal role in negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Holt told Saturday Report that no one should forget the conflict is primarily a ground war. “There's battlefield realities here. The Russians hold ground, and they hold it militarily," he said.
He said the lead-up to the announced Alaska summit with President Donald Trump hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin is based on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Russia's occupation of Ukraine’s land.
Trump’s threats of sanctions against Russia and secondary sanctions on countries that do business with Russia are the primary leverage Trump can use, said Holt.
“President Trump holds the ultimate trump card, because if they (European nations) reject what the United States is working out with Russia, then Macron and Starmer (European leaders) and the rest of them will be the ones holding the bag, because President Trump can just pull up stakes and say, 'we did every single thing possible to end this war,'" he said.
And Holt said if it reaches that point, the European nation leaders enjoying Russian energy and products already know what they may then face.
“And if you don't want to end this war, well, then militarily, you're going to be at the hands of the Russians. And no one should historically ever underestimate the Russian ability to suffer any kind of economic pain, especially when Europe itself can't even abide by its own sanctions. Cranking those up even higher is only going to put a tighter noose around their neck," he said.
He predicted that the Trump-Putin meeting could set the stage for the conflict to end.
“I think we're going to go on to the end of this thing here rather shortly," he said.
Despite many predictions that the Alaska meeting might help end the conflict, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a statement on Saturday indicating he must be directly involved in any arrangement leading to a cease-fire. He said he would not agree to anything that allowed Russia to hold Ukraine's land it captured militarily. "Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier."
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Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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